Vegan Banana Caramel Cake

Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan. Line an 8 x 8 inch square tin with greaseproof paper, leaving a little overhang on the sides so you can lift the cake out easily once it's baked.

Whisk the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar together in a bowl, then leave it for 10 minutes to curdle. This is your vegan "buttermilk".

Mash the bananas in a small bowl with a fork until mushy.

Sift the sugar, flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir together. Whisk the oil into the buttermilk.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the mashed banana, and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.

Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes. It's ready when a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean and the top springs back when pressed. If there's still wet batter on the skewer, give it a few more minutes. If the top starts browning too much, lay a sheet of greaseproof paper over it before putting it back in.

Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then gently lift it onto a wire rack. The sponge is very light, so take care. Let it cool completely before filling and frosting. If you like, you can keep it in an airtight container once cool and frost it the next day.

Make a batch of vegan caramel sauce and chill it until cold. I usually make it the day or night before.

Spoon the caramel into a piping bag and snip off the end.

Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes across the cake, then pipe caramel into each one.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, stirring now and then with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon.

Keep cooking until it foams, then turns golden brown with small speckles and smells toasty and nutty.

Pour it straight into a heatproof bowl so it stops cooking.

Let it cool completely, then chill until it's set but still soft, like butter at room temperature.

Beat the browned butter until light, smooth and fluffy, using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or an electric hand whisk.

Add the icing sugar gradually, starting on a low speed and turning it up once the sugar is mixed in.

Add the cream and beat for another 3–4 minutes until creamy.

Adjust the texture if needed: a splash more cream if it's too thick, a little more icing sugar if it's too soft.

Spread the buttercream over the cooled cake with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, making swirls on top as you go.

Serve as it is, or add a light dusting of cinnamon and some crumbled gingerbread biscuits. Biscoff or ginger snaps work well too.

Cut into squares with a large sharp knife and serve.